Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

The immortal mind, perhaps, will quit a cottage with lefs regret than it would the fplendour of a palace; and the breathlefs duft fleep as quietly beneath the grassy turf, as under the parade of a coftly monument. These are infignifi.. cant circumstances to a fpirit doomed to an endless duration of mifery or blifs.

N

CHAPTER HI

O trees bear fruit in autumn, unless they bloffom in the fpring. To the end that our age may be profit. able, and laden with ripe fruit, let us all endeavour, that our youth may be ftudious, and flowered with the bloffoms of learning and obfervation.

When a man is in company with his betters, it is more advisable to hear, than to speak; it is better to reap than to fow.

A woman of true fenfe, will be always ambitious not of gaining admiration, but of deferving it.

[ocr errors]

Count that day lost, whose low descending sun

Views from thy hand no worthy action done.

Of all the virtues, there are none ought more to be in culcated into the mind of a young girl than modesty and meekness.

We muft, in this world, gain a relish for truth and virtue, if we would be able to tafte that knowledge and perfection, which are to make us happy in the next.

The thought of immortality, the hope of endless happi-. nefs, is enough to animate the foul with the noblest ambition; and yet make it look, with the humbleft compaffion, upon that part of the creation, that wants fo divine a hope. All who would please the great, must be flatterers; but the true province of friendship is, to put us in mind of our own faults.

Among the Romans, it was not the house which honoured the mafter, but the mafter the houfe. A cottage with them became as auguft as a temple, when justice, generosity, probity, fincerity, and honour, were lodged in it: and how can a house be called fmall, which contains fo many and fuch great virtues?

An extraordinary merit may lie hid under a mean habit,. as a rich garment may cover enormous vices.

Silence is fometimes more fignificant and fublime, than the most noble and moft expreffive eloquence; and is, on many occafions, the indication of a great mind.

Cruel sports were thought very high reflections on the politeness of the Romans. Are they not much greater on the mercy and humanity of Chriftians?

Every wife man will confider this life only as it may conduce to the happiness of the other, and cheerfully facrifice the pleasures of a few years to those of eternity.

Money, like manure, does no good, till it is fpread ;. there is no real ufe of riches, except in the distribution ; the rest is all conceit.

Virtue is the foundation of honour and esteem, and the fource of all beauty, order, and happiness in nature.

Beauty and wit will die, learning will vanish away, and all the arts of life be foon forgotten; but virtue will remain. for ever.

[ocr errors]

This is the state of man; to-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hope; to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him.
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And-nips bis root.

W

CHAPTER IV.

ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF TIME.

E complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with; for our lives are spent either in doing nothing at all, in doing nothing to the purpofe, or elfe, in doing nothing that we ought to do.

2. Melancholy as this picture appears, and difgraceful as it certainly is, to a rational and reflecting being, I fear, if we were to take an impartial view of our lives, too many of us would have reafon to acknowledge the juftnefs of the cenfure.

3. Every fool, fays Chefterfield, who flatterns away his whole time in nothings, has fome trite observation at hand, to prove both its value and its fleetnefs; and though they feel the neceffity of employing it well, they fquander it. away, without confidering that its lofs is irrecoverable.

4. There are two forts of understanding, which prevent a man from ever becoming confiderable; the one is a lazy, the other a frivolous, mind. The lazy mind will not take the trouble to fearch to the bottom of any thing, but, difcouraged by the flighteft difficulties, ftops fhort, and contents itself with eafy and fuperficial knowledge, rather than submit to a small degree of trouble.

5. Whatever you pretend to learn, you ought to have ambition enough to defire to excell in; for mediocrity is a proof of weakness; and perfedion may always be purchased by application. Knowledge, says an elegant write er, is a comfortable and neceffary fhelter for us in an advanced age; but if we do not plant it while young, it will afford us no fhade when we grow old.

ó. Yet too close an application to the improvement of your mind is not to be expected, so as to exclude pleas ure, or banish recreation. Be careful to remember that your foundation of knowledge must be established before you are eighteen; for when you are once introduced in to the world, your application will be inceffantly interrupted, and your ftudies suspended. All difficulties may be overcome by perfeverance; and even the defects of nature may be conquered.

7. A remarkable inftance of the power of perfeverance is demonstrated in the conduct of Demofthenes, an Athenian orator, who, anxious to obtain perfection in the art of fpeaking, not only conquered an absolute impediment of fpeech, but from being one of the most ungraceful, became one of the most graceful orators of Athens.

8. In the diftribution of your time, let the first hour of the day be devoted to the service of your Maker. Accuftom yourselves to the practice of religious homage, as a natural expreffion of gratitude to him for all his bounty and benevolence. Confider it as the fervice of the God of your fathers; of him to whom your parents devoted you; of him whom, in former ages, your ancestors honoured, and by whom they are now rewarded and bleffed in heaven.

9. Seneca tells us, that the first petition we offer to God, pught to be a good conscience; the fecond for health of mind; and the third for health of body. After the fe petitions, it will be neceffary you should accuftom yourfelves to make a regular diftribution of time, for the different av

[ocr errors]

ocations which are to occupy it; this will be found one of` the best methods that can be adopted, both for the practice of youth, and those of a more advanced period.

CHAPTER V.

INGRATITUDE.-STORY OF INKLE AND YARICO.

"A

MIDST the various vices to which human nature is prone, and which mark the degradation it has fuffered, none more ftrikingly evince its debasement than the practice of ingratitude. For other vices, and other fail-ings, reafon may be able to affign a cause; but for that she must search in vain. That kindness should ever be returned with cruelty, or affection be treated with neglect is bumanity's shame, and man's disgrace.

2. Mr. Thomas Inkle, a young London merchant, was the third fon of a wealthy citizen, who had carefully infilled into his mind a love of gain, and a defire of acquiring wealth; and this propenfity, which he had imbibed from precept, and felt from nature, was the grand inducement for him to try his fortune in the Weft Indies. Inkle's perfon was abfolutely the reverse of his mind; the former was manly and noble; but the latter mean and contracted.

3. During the voyage, the Achilles, the name of the veffel in which he embarked, put into a creek to avoid the fury of a storm; and young Inkle, with feveral of the party; went on fhore, to take a view of a scene so entirely new. They had not walked far up the country before they were. obferved by a party of Indians, and fear and apprehenfion lent wings to their flight. Inkte outran his companions, and breathlefs with terror, fought fecurity in the thicket of a forest.

of a

4. He had not been long in that forlorn fituation, when his aftonishment was called forth by the appearance young female, whofe benignant countenance feemed instantly to compaffionate his forlorn fituation. The name of the female was Yarico., Gentleness and sweetness were displayed in every feature; and when Inkle, by signs, acquainted her with his forlorn fituation, she evidently proved that sym pathy was confined to no particular clime, and that humanity depends not upon the colour of the skin...

3. The generous Indian was a woman of high birth'; and knowing that the tenderness she felt for the unfortunate stranger would be difpleafing to her parents, fhe felt the neceffity of difguiling it. She carried Inkle to a remote cave, fupplied his wants, and daily administered to his com forts. Her affection in time became fo ftrong, that she fcarcely could exist but in his presence.

6. Fearful that he would grow weary of his confinement,fhe used to watch the opportunities of her parents' abfence, and then conduct him into the beauteous groves, with which that country abounds; then perfuade him to lie down and Aumber, and anxiously watch by him for fear he should be. disturbed! His little dwelling was adorned with all the art that native elegance could fuggeft, and unfufpecting innocence employ, to make it appear pleafing to her lover's eyes.

7. At length Yarico had the happiness of finding Inkle understand her language, and had the felicity of hearing him express the strength of his gratitude, and power of his love. Inkle was conftantly reprefenting the joys that would await. them, if they could once return to England, and painted the excess of his paffion in fuch glowing colours, that the unfufpecting Yarico could not doubt its fincerity, and at length promised not only to become the partner of his flight, but daily watch the arrival of fome veffel to promote it.

8. The wished for object foon appeared; the unfufpicious Yarico left the abode of her doating parents, and, for getful of her duty, thought only of her affection. The ship. in which they had embarked was bound for Barbadoes, and all Inkle's ideas of acquiring wealth returned with double. force Love, which had been a tranfitory paffion, and which had acquired its foundation in intereft, now yielded to a fuperior claim. His freedom. once obtained, the means were totally forgotten, and the unfortunate Yarico confidered as a tax upon his bounty.

9. As foon as the vessel arrived at Barbadoes, the mer chants crowded round it for the purpose of purchafing their flaves. The despicable. Inkle was animated at the fight, and refolving to relieve himself of what he confid-. ered as a burden, offered the beauteous Yarico, his amiable deliverer, to the highest bidder! It was in vain that fhe threw herself on her knees before him, or pleaded her

« ZurückWeiter »